Tug-adjuster



116 Model.)

E. J. BLOOD. Tag Adjuster.

No. 231,647. Patented Aug. 31,1880;

'WJ'ineSses liven $0 r UNTTT STATES EDWIN J. BLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TUG-ADJ USTE R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,647, dated August 31, 1880. Application filed May 24, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. BLOOD, of Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented a'certain new and useful Improvement in TugAdjusters, (Case 1);) and I declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the lineww in Fig. 1, showing the parts interlocked. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing the parts in position for detachment.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to draft-harness and other apparatus involving the use of connecting-straps; and it consists in a special device for varying the length of such connections, which special device I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents an extension of the base of the tug-hook a, connecting the tug with the hame, or of any analogous attachment, the base being extended downward as well as lengthwise, so as to form on each of its sides two bars, a and (t the former vertically above the latter, the two being connected at the ends by the upright pieces a and a At the end farthest from the hook each pair of bars is connected with the corresponding pair on the other side by the upper and lower cross bars, B and B. The entire extension and the tug-hook may be made in a single piece.

Each of the upper bars, a, has in its lower edge the similar notches 0, and each of the lower bars, a has in its upper edge the similar notches 0, each about two-thirds as long as the corresponding notch in the upper bar, and having its limit, which is farthest from the hook, vertically under the analogous limit of the corresponding upper notch,

The tug-strap D is of suitable breadth to pass horizontally between the two pairs of bars which form the sides of the extension A. It has attached to it at one end the key E, either by looping the strap around the stem of the key, as shown in the drawings, or in any other suitable mode. This key has a semicircular blade at each end projecting beyond the edge of the strap, and (when the strap lies horizontally between the pairs of bars) between and somewhat without the bars a and 0, The diameter of this blade is somewhat greaterthan the distance between the unnotclied portions of those bars, so that when its straight side eis set perpendicular, or nearly so, between the notched portions of the bars, the blade cannot be moved out of the notches except by first turning it so that 0 will be nearly horizontal.

The key is so set on the strap that e is at right angles, or nearly so, to the length of the strap. Thus when the direction of the strap is parallel to the length of the bars a and a 0 will be perpendicular to the same. The direction of the strap is kept thus parallel by drawing it between the cross-bars B and B.

To attach the strap to the extension A the end to which the keyis a't'fixed must be turned so that the breadth of the strap and length of the key will be nearly parallel to the length of the bars a and a Being introduced within the extension in this position the rest of the strap being below A, the keyed end is turned until its breadth is at right angles to the length of the bars a and a Each blade of the key will then be locked between the bars a and a on its side of the extension; but the keyed end of the strap may still have a motion backward and forward through the extension. It is to be moved in this way until the blades of the key 'rest in the set of lower notches, 0, in which I desire to lock it. The farther end of the strap is then to be passed between the cross-bars B and B and the strap drawn through until the direction of the part within A is parallel to the length of the bars a and a The blades of the key will then be locked in the notches, so that no tension upon the hook or the strap and no motion of the animal or the vehicle will dislodge the strap from its point of attachment on A. If it is desired to change this point of attachment, and thus lengthen or shorten the tug, the portion of the strap within A must be lengthened by drawin g back through the cross-bars B and 13 until slack enough is obtained to make it possible to turn the keyed end, so that the straight sides 6 of the blades will be nearly horizontal.

52 when This position is shown in Fig. 3. The blades can then be slipped out of their notches and backward or forward into any other set, as may be desired. They can then be locked in their new position by drawiu g the slack through the crossbars again until the portion of the strap within the extension is again parallel with the length of the bars a and a What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As a connecting device, the hook-extension A, having at different points in its length notches arranged in pairs vertically and transversely, in combination with the strap D and y the semicircular bladed key E, capable of being moved freely along the extension when its straight side is horizontal, or nearly so, and of being locked in a set of the notches by bringing said straight side toward a vertical position, all substantially as described.

EDWIN J. BLOOD. ,Witnesses:

JNo. O. MACGREGOR, THOMAS H. PEASE. 

